Bolivian wins Mister International 2009 contest

TAIPEI - Bolivia’s Bruno Kettels was crowned Mister International 2009 at a ceremony held in Taichung city in Taiwan.

The 20-year-old Kettels, who studies chemical engineering, beat out Spaniard Hector Soria for the title in the competition final Saturday night. Also in the running in the final were contestants from Lebanon, France and Poland.

Another Latino winning a trophy in this year’s competition was Venezuela’s Luis Nuzzo, who received the Mister Congeniality award, while the Taiwanese contestant, Terry Shih, took the prize for best traditional outfit.

Kettels succeeds last year’s winner, Vietnam’s Ngo Tien Doan, as Mister International and he is the second Latin American to win the award, after Brazil’s Alan Martini triumphed in 2007.

The prize comes with $5,000 in cash, advertising contracts valued at $45,000 and the mission to travel the world for a year to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.

The contest was created in 2006 by the organisers of the Mister Singapore competition and it always has been held in the Far East - twice in Taiwan, once in Malaysia and once in Singapore.

On Nov 28, the Miss International contest was held in China and was won by Mexican Anagabriela Espinoza.

–EFE